Compressor



W. H. WI NEMAN July 21, 1936.

COMPRESSOR Filed Sept. 29, 1934 2 Sheets-Sheet l 31:1?5 .v 1 5 n n :3 FT FM r i WadeHI Wncman. Y

y 1936- w. H. WINEMAN 2,047,986

COMPRES SOR Filed Sept. 29, 1934 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 7 [722/671 207: WadcHM/z'ncman.

Patented July 21, 1936 pairs!) STATES commmsson Wade H. Wineman, Michigan City, Ind., assignor to Sullivan Machinery Company, a corporation of Massachusetts Application September 29, 1934, Serial No. 746,169 10 Claims. (01. 230-108) My invention relates to gaseous fluid compressors, and more particularly to gaseous fluidc'ompressors in which a liquid is employed under the action of centrifugal force as the gas compressing medium.

From one of its aspects my invention relates to the provision of a gaseous'fluid compressor in which a liquid, after having had a large amount of energy imparted to it in the course ofits action as the compressing medium and while, furthermore, under the pressure existing at the discharge side of the compressor, is so handled as to cause the same to give up its energy, and to impart the maximum available energy to the driving system for the compressor. From another aspect of my invention the same comprises the feature of employing in a liquid compressor system a separating device in conjunction with the compressor of such nature thatthe kinetic energy of the liquid flowing from the discharge side of the compressor is largely preserved and I made available for delivering work to the driving system of the compressor. From still another as H pect my invention comprises the employment, in

aliquid compressor system, of a very effective air separating mechanism which, like the compressor, operates upon the centrifugal principle and which preserves and makes available energy pres- I v ent in the liquid when it enters the separator.

' An objectof my invention is to provide-an improved fluid compressor. Another object of my invention is to provide an improved fluid compressor of the centrifugal type. Still another object of my invention is to provide an improved fluid compressor of the centrifugal type having improved compressing-liquid handling means incorporated therein. Still another object of my invention is to provide an improved combination of a hydraulic centrifugal compressor and 'an improved hydraulic separator. Yet another object of my invention is to provide an improved combination of a hydraulic centrifugal compressor, a centrifugal separator, and a hydraulically-actuated power economizing device for the compress'or drive. Other objects and advantages of my invention will hereinafter more fully appear.

. In the accompanying drawings in which one illustrative form of the invention has been shown, 1

Fig. 1 is a plan view of a compressor system in which the illustrative embodiment of the invention is incorporated.

Fig. 2 is a view partially in side elevation and partially with'parts broken away showing'the same system.

buckets, the view being taken on the plane cor- 10 responding to the line 1'| of Fig. 6. 7

Referring to the drawings, it will be observed that a base I is provided in the form of a large hollow tank in which water 2 or other suitable compressing medium is employed. Desirably, a 15" suitable cooling means in the form of a radiator or the like immersed in the water may be provided, or the water in the tank can be changed if that be found more practicable. Upon the tank I there is mounted upon a suitable support 3 2'0 2. driving motor 4, herein an electric motor, and in alinement with the motor there is mounted a. compressor 5 of the hydraulic, centrifugal type. The motor shaft 6 is connected through a suit- I able flexible coupling 1 with the shaft 8 of the 25 compressor, and the latter carries a rotor 9 which is provided with a series of generally radially extending passages l0, II at oppositesides of a central fin member [2. The passages ll" conmiunicate with an annular intake space H to which 30 air or other gas to be compressed is admitted through a suitable connection IS. The passages I!) are adapted to be supplied with a liquid (herein the water from the tank I) from a supply chamber l6 which communicates with a supply 35 space I! connected by a suction pipe l8 with the interior of the tank I. Suitable means for priming the pump may be employed in starting it up, if desired or needed. The passages lll'and H unite in a circumferential zone 20, the fast mov- 40 ing liquid drawing in the air through the passages I I, and the mixture, with the air duly compressed being discharged into a stationary raceway 2l which leads to the point of compressor discharge. The zone 20 may be annular or broken 45 up into a series of chambers extending radially and communicating with the spaces ill and II at their inner sides and with the raceway 2| at their outer sides. From the raceway 21 a connection 22 leads tangentially into the upper portion of 50 a centrifugal separator chamber 23 in which, under the action of centrifugal force, a very complete and effective separation of the entrained and compressed air from the compressing medium takes place. The liquid within the chamber 55' 23, shown at 24, whirls rapidly around within the chamber and is permitted to return from the bottom of the chamber through a connection 25 formed to conserve the velocity of the liquid, to, a nozzle element 26 in the same horizontal planes with the lower portion of a Pelton wheel 21, which is secured to an extension 28 of the compressor shaft 8. The buckets 29 of the Pelton wheel are acted upon by the liquid'dischargingthrougfithe nozzle 26, so that'the wheel aids the motorin' cf fecting drive, as it were, and thereafter the liquid, falls into a sump 30 and returns through a coi'r' nection 3| to the tank I. The liquid level separator 23 can obviously be controlled by the use of suitable manual or automatic val es, ittlesired, but it is evident thattlre liquid can"pass-' out of the chamber at least as rapidly as the mixture enters, and since the Pelton wheelis own, smaller radius than the orifices at the periphery, of the compressor rotorthe liquid dischargeve y-w i amp y-h h s w The -modest operation-of my; proved conipressor mechanism will be readily understood fromyvhat has been said with respectto itsoonstruction. Thermotor l will bestartednand, desireQ-thecempressor'may :be'pri-med, although this will not be necessary if the lift from the water levelin the-tank lrto the chamber 11 is small. Thereafter the liquid will beconstantly drawn into trie -chamber H and will passxoutwardly through the runner-20f the pump throug hathe ohambersior passages M1 and will suck innit; 12116 point of junc-tionof these passageswith the pas sagesg -li with an aspiratingaction the gaseous flufitobe compressedas the latter isrlrawn through the passage! 5, chamber Land passages Ill The liquid-will then compress theaspirated fluid and'the mixture will pass into the raceway- Zrl, whence it will 'be delivered at high velocity thnoughthepipe '22 to the-upper part; of thesep aratingchamber :23. The fluidsnentering thegsep arating chamber 1 will then "separate from 1 each other;the "heavier water-or other liquid compress: ing-Imedium 'travelingaroundthe periphery of the separating chamber and the lighter :air being squeezed into the center and out of the lliquid. Asa result, a very; effective separation will take place andeairmay be conducted, ,desired,,-at the designed terminal pressure threugha; discharge connection 3-2, The liquid, however, to Whirl rapidly in;:the casing :23 and flower-it tangentiallythrough the connectionQZfi to the nozzle -26'-'a-nd engage the runner, of the Pelton wheel and as the latter is of ,smaller-, di-

ameter than-the circleaoaf discharge of: the compressor-rotor will transmit a rotary force to the compressor driving shaft at' the-necessary speed eifectively to cooperatewith the driving motor fl in driying the oom-pressvr. r 7 :From thezfio oi'n-g descriptionitwillbeeviden-t that l have "provided aver-y -efiective,.-simple, relatively inexpensive, and practicableucompnes sor ipla-nt avoidinglosses of power inherent in many hydraulic compressors andinsuring, moreoven, la very efiective separation of the air and a -cooling of the latterby the compressing medium; lit will-be noted-;.:moreover, thattheair passing through the-compressor is washed, and. accordingly this apparatusis wel-liadapted ior inhorporadrion air conditioning system tor the] likes J 7 7 :I thave iin this-application specifically described form-which :my invention may &5 sume irrlpractice, iti'wi'llhe understood-that fon'm crimes-airless shown for purpqsesrsoi illuse.

'ratusj ahydraulic centrifugal compressor having tration, and that theinvention may be modified and embodied in various other forms without departing from its spirit'or the scope of the appended claims.

What I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent'is: I I r 1. In combination, in a gas compressing apparatus, a hydrauliocentrifugal compressor having autang e'rrtial jdischarge for the liquid'compressing mediumaird the entrained compressed 'gas, a driving motor for said compressor, a separator having 'a'tangential inlet receiving said liquid and en-' trained gas and having a tangential discharge for liquid, a rotary hydraulic motor operatively conectjd' i if' drivingirelation with the compressor," "afrd'nieans-"for conducting liquid from saidlast mentionedtangential discharge to said hydraulic motoni.

2. In combination, 'in a gas' compressing appaaatangentialadischargefor the liquid 'compressn'ig mediurnand the, entrainedficompressed gas, a

drivingim-oter for saili compressor, auseparator having a; tangential inlet receiving said liquid and entrained gas'and having a tangentialdischarge for-liquid, a hydraulic turbine -operatiyely' connected ill-driving relation with the compressor, and neansiorconducting liquid from said" last mentioned tangential discharge to said hydraulic turbine; v v t V 3: .In combination, ina gas compressing-apparatus, a-hydraul-ic centrifugal compressor having a-rtangential discharge for the liquid compressing medium and the entrained compressed gas, a driv ing.motorforsaidcompressor, a'separator having a. tangentialwinlet receiving said liquid and entrained igas and rhaving a tangential discharge for sliquid, a hydraulic 'turbinei operatively con nected inzdri-vingrelation with the r-compressor, andmeans including a velocity-conserving conductoriorgoonducting liquid from saidlast men-V tioned -iangentialidischargerto said hydraulic turbine.-- I V ln -wa punpingg apparatus, ,a centrifugal hy-f drauliccompressor having a-disch-arge and havrotor. rotatable upon itsaxis, a centrifugal separator having an :axis disposed at right an- 7 gles --to a line parallel to 4 the ax-is :of rotation of said' rotonhsaid separator having a tangential inletingthe; same plane with the central plane ofllrotationacf ,said rotor and in communication the compressor discharge, separate l iquid and gas; discharges: for said separator at least oneof wh-ichris-tangenti-aLand a compressor driving element :operatively' connected ith said tang ntial discharge. V V V a 1 .5. i-n apumningapparatus, a centrifugal hy draulic compressor-having a discharge and havarotor mtatable upon it s;axis,-a centrifugal separatorlghav'mg; an axis disposed -at-right am glesltoadine-parallel to the aids-of rotation or V separator having an axis disposed atrightangles said to a line parallel to the axis of rotation of said rotor, said separator having a tangential inlet in the same plane with the central plane of rotation of said rotor and connected with the compressor discharge, and separate liquid and gas discharges for said separator, the former being tangential to and near the bottom of said separator, and means for driving said rotor including a main driving motor and a supplemental water wheel receiving water from said tangential liquid discharge and having a velocity-conserving connection with the latter.

7. In a pumping apparatus, a centrifugal hydraulic compressor having a discharge and having a rotor rotatable upon its axis, a centrifugal separator having its axis vertical, said separator having a tangential inlet in the same plane with the central plane ofrotation of said rotor and connected with the compressor discharge, and separate liquid and gas discharges for said separator, the former being tangential to and near the bottom of said separator, and means for driving said rotor including a main driving motor and a supplemental water wheel receiving water from said tangential liquid discharge.

8. In combination, in a pumping apparatus, a

compressor driving motor, a hydraulic centrifugal compressor driven thereby and having a rotor rotatable upon a horizontal axis, a centrifugal separator arranged with its axis vertical, a Pelton wheel coaxial with and operatively connected to the compressor rotor, a tangential discharge from the compressor operatively connected with a point adjacent the top of said separator, and a tangential discharge from said separator leading therefrom adjacent the bottom thereof to a position substantially tangent to said Pelton wheel adjacent the lower side of the latter to drive the same in the direction in which the compressor is driven by its driving motor.

9. In combination, in a gas compressing apparatus, a hydraulic centrifugal compressor having a rotor and a tangential discharge for the liquid compressing medium and the entrained compressed gas, a, separator having a tangential inlet in the planes of rotation of said rotor and a lower tangential discharge, said compressor discharge being connected with said separator inlet, driving means for said rotor, and supplemental, power-conserving driving means for said rotor including a water wheel having a nozzle adjacent its periphery and connected with said last mentioned tangential discharge.

10. In combination, in a gas compressing apparatus, a hydraulic centrifugal compressor having a rotor and a tangential discharge for the liquid compressing medium and the entrained compressed gas, a separator having a tangential inlet in the planes of rotation of said rotor and a lower tangential discharge, said compressor discharge being connected with said separator inlet, driving means for said rotor, and supplemental, power-conserving driving means for said rotor including a water wheel having a nozzle adjacent its lower periphery and connected by piping free from right angle turns with said second mentioned tangential discharge.

WADE H. WINEMAN. 

